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The Wolf Game Rules Thread

We have a pretty good thing going with wolf games again. That's great! I love TWG and all it's variations (The Mafia Game, TAG) so it's good that we have a group of players and some newbies that enjoy playing and are active. I think it's time we start actually writing down some of the nebulous rules that come into play from time to time when you play this on the internet.

Mostly this all comes down to PMs and their effect on the game.

In real life, the wolves can't get together secretly and make plans they have to talk in public and try to make plans without being caught, or just kill willy nilly and not try to hard during the day to use the numbers advantage.

Online, one of the main things that's fun is scheming when you're a wolf so to take away secret communication would be taking away one of the best parts of the game, so if you allow the wolves to do it, you should let everyone PM each other. So what do you do when it comes to the rules governing PMs. Here are my suggested rules regarding PMs:

1.) No copy and pasting PMs in thread to prove a point. You can take any knowledge you gain from PMs and weave them into your argument, but you can't just say, "here's this PM I got from so and so, he's a wolf, obviously I'm a human."

2.) Seers and Angels (and wolves, although why?) can not reveal themselves in thread, but may do so in PMs. However, the seer may not use other humans as a proxy to tell other humans to vote certain ways.

In real life seers try to make the case that people are either human or a wolf and sometimes being the seer means you're the most talkative so people tend to go with your ideas, then the wolves kill you. It's a hard role to stay alive and be effective at. Online, you want to do the opposite. Lay low, don't get caught and spread your knowledge to as many people as possible. But if the seer online is able to just have a human say, "the seer saw these two people, they are wolves, vote them out" then it makes the seer to powerful. Humans don't mind dying if they are gonna take some wolves out with them so they can act like shields to the seer. It's a good strategy for the seer, and I commend binary for using it, but I think it should be disallowed in the future. -edit, we're going to try the infection rule to balance this strategy out

Seers should have to try their best to convince people they are right about a player and hint that may be they know what they're talking about. When it comes to seers and PMs they can grow their support structure and more humans will know not to vote for other humans, and the seer can still be effective that way as well.

3.) No using the forum software to overcome in game problems. Basically what LA did in TWG 20X6. It was a good move, and it helped the humans win the game, but I don't think it should be allowed in the future either.

In order to help with that because the option would still be there and it would be impossible to police as a GM, I set up 4 gmail accounts.

DigestGM at gmail
DigestWolf1 at gmail
DigestSeer at gmail
DigestAngel at gmail

The password for all of them is pacersdigest right now, but when we play a game and you are assigned that role (1 wolf will use the gmail account), you can go use that gmail account, change the password, and email the gm your choices so that you're not looking at the gms page or pming him. (and the seer and the angel should not email each other to find out who each other are, the gm should have access to your account so that if he sees that activity, both are revealed and killed in the next story)

Also I'd ask people use the honor system and not use the forum to win.

And now for some other rules plus the basic rules of TWG.

1.) There are 21 players (I think this is the best ratio and an odd number means you start on a fake night where no one who really wants to play gets killed without playing at least one day.) 4 wolves, 1 seer, 1 angel, and 15 humans.

2.) Wolves confer and eat one person every "night."

3.) The seer finds out the role (human, angel, or wolf) of one person every "night."

4.) The angel protects one person at night from being eaten. If the wolves select the same person as the angel, the next morning the story must reflect the fact that person was "saved" by the angel and no one died during the night.

5.) Humans vote for someone to die during the "day." They may change their vote once per day. The person with the most votes at the end of the day is sent to die and the story reveals what that person was (wolf, seer, angel, or human).

6.) Wolves win by outnumbering the humans during the "day" and over running the town and eating everyone remaining.

7.) The humans (and the seer and angel) win by killing all of the wolves.

That's it for me for now, any thoughts? Anybody that wants to play the next one or has a rule change to discuss, or wants to talk about mine, post in here!

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Re: The Wolf Game Rules Thread

I do not have anything else to add, just wanted to say I had a blast! This is only my second game, but I have really enjoyed playing both times (and I did not realize this is a game you could play IRL. Would make for a interesting party game)

It has been hard for me to stay active as of late with the new job and all, but the neat thing about TWG is it only takes a couple of seconds out of your day, though others may want to put more time in.

Re: The Wolf Game Rules Thread

We've actually never played them on PD. But I've played them in real life and online. They are both basically the same thing as TWG. The Alien Game uses Aliens instead of Wolves, and normally special robots or scientists for the Seer and Angel. The Mafia Game has mobsters, the stool pidgeon (the seer), and i forget what the angel is.

Basically it's just so the whole, old tymey town thing doesn't get played out and you can play different characters and write different stories.

Re: The Wolf Game Rules Thread

We've actually never played them on PD. But I've played them in real life and online. They are both basically the same thing as TWG. The Alien Game uses Aliens instead of Wolves, and normally special robots or scientists for the Seer and Angel. The Mafia Game has mobsters, the stool pidgeon (the seer), and i forget what the angel is.

Basically it's just so the whole, old tymey town thing doesn't get played out and you can play different characters and write different stories.

Kind of like our setting being in space this time as opposed to the Van Helsing days?

How do you play this in real life? I aspire to make a drinking game out of this. Yeah, I probably have a problem.

Re: The Wolf Game Rules Thread

Kind of like our setting being in space this time as opposed to the Van Helsing days?

How do you play this in real life? I aspire to make a drinking game out of this. Yeah, I probably have a problem.

You hand out cards for us when we play it is, Jacks are the villains (wolves, mafia, aliens, what have you), queen is the angel, doctor, protector, and a king is handed out for the seer, sheriff, etc. Everyone else just gets a numbered card. One person narrates and when you go to sleep everyone shuts their eyes then you have all the special roles wake up usually, villains first, then doctor/saving role, then the seeing role.

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Re: The Wolf Game Rules Thread

In real life you have the players sit in a circle. The leader hands out cards generally Aces are the wolves, a king is the seer, and a queen is the angel. Everyone else gets number cards.

The leader has everyone "go to sleep" (put their heads down) and tells the wolves to wake up. Silently they pick someone to kill, then the leader puts them to sleep, has the seer wake up and he/she picks someone to see, and the angel picks someone to protect once he/she is the one who is awake. Then everyone wakes up, the leader explains what happened in the night and then voting commences. Then it pretty much follows like we play online.

Re: The Wolf Game Rules Thread

I realize that you already went to the trouble of starting those accounts but perhaps a way to make it easier would be to start a new account here on PD. "The Wolf Game" could be the GM and would have everyone looking at its account for updates, Friend Requests, and PM's. We could practically play the game right on that accounts Profile since we are able to leave messages and send it PM's. Players could PM the "The Wolf Game" with their specific rule questions and the special roles can PM it with their decisions. The wolves would still have to communicate with each other more privately in order to avoid what happened here but I think all those extra accounts are going to get old and the passwords will get lost.

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Re: The Wolf Game Rules Thread

That might be a better idea. I made those accounts and they all have the same password right now and the question to change it is "who is the founder of pd?" They won't get lost, but your solution may be more elegant.

Actually, thinking about it, isn't it just as bad at looking at a gm when you're looking at "The Wolf Game"?

Re: The Wolf Game Rules Thread

I still don't understand the no posting of PM's in the thread other th to protect a dumb player, more than likely one that is a wolf? If a wolf sends you something that you can use to your advantage why not be able to use it? What is the difference between posting it or PM'ing it to everyone? I don't really care either way, I just have not read a good reason not to be able to do it.

I think the extra e-mails or profiles are too much work. Why not just have the specials give the GM a real e-mail to use if we don't think the players can be honorable and not use the technology to gain an advantage? If you don't want to give your "real" e-mail then make up a dummy one of your own for the game. The less Hassle the better.

I would like to see voting extended until almost all the people vote. That means people should be encouraged not to play if they can't check in at least once a day. We do have to give people time to go back and read things before they vote. A couple votes were cut short a little too quickly, especially mine when TJ didn't even vote. I don't care what anyone says, but early voting patterns do emerge, especially if you know who is who.

I'd be willing to GM the next one if PN wants to play. I have a couple of scene ideas, but those seem to go out the window early anyway. I would be more likely to want to use one of my own e-mails to hav the specials contact me through and had been thinking going that route if i did G.

Re: The Wolf Game Rules Thread

I just don't like copy/pasting pms. So maybe that is just me. And real email would be fine too, just figured I'd have the dummy emails ready if people wanted to use them.

I cut a few of the votes off fairly short because the majority was reached already. I prefer players don't wait around to see who everyone votes for before they vote unless I have a set time where it is going to end. I like having the moving timetable so I can post stories when I'm home and keep the game moving and not just having everyone sit there at night.

Bellisimo had suggested doing the mafia setting for the next game, if you'd like to do that. If you'd prefer to play, Ms. Piggy has said she had some ideas for stories as well.

Re: The Wolf Game Rules Thread

I would rather play to be honest. I have more time during the summer to analyze things and read than during the school year. Of course summer is when we usually play. Ms. P. Can have this one if she really wants to. I can do one after I get back from vacation if everyone is still in the mood at the end of the month.

Re: The Wolf Game Rules Thread

I agree with the no posting of PMs rule. It just leads to a whole can of worms with the possibility of people doctoring PMs and really makes things a lot more complicated than I think they should be.

It seems a little artificial to have all those restrictions regarding the seer, but I agree that I was a little overpowered. Really, I could have taken the natston approach and said 3 things the whole time whilst working my mojo behind the scenes and letting humans take the fall each time. Although my personality won't let me clam up all the time

That being said, if Ms Piggy hadn't been able to go public about her contact with the seer, it would have been a lot more difficult to get anything done. So that change really represents a large shift in power.

On another note, I would really favor any rules that promote activity. It drags the game down when so many players are so quiet. But really there is no drawback for not involving yourself -- in fact, it's really advantageous because no one will suspect you of anything

Re: The Wolf Game Rules Thread

I don't think there should be any restriction against anyone saying they know who the seer is and sharing the info. that they have received from them. Other than posting a PM, there was nothing Piggy did that has not been done before and is in the bounds of play. One must be careful with that though because it then gives the wolves the ability to focus on a persons interactions.

As for PM's being posted, that is now a useless strategy as well. No one will believe it, just as no one believed mine.

The rule that must be strictly enforced is the no communications from dead people. I would even exclude the going away post. Too much info. being shared there. The end game debate about PM's also distracted from what was happening. We really need to keep those to a minimum.